" I have travelled the globe. I have seen the Canadian Rockies, the American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps, the highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton out rivals them all"
Tomorrow morning we hit the interstate to head south....looking forward to being home.
~ Alexander Graham Bell
Last nights bed at the Mermaid Best Western rivaled a Mideviel torture rack...I seriously doubt Mermaids sleep in such deprivation. We we just down the street from the Nova Star terminal and a Tim Hortons....which was good because Mermaids serve really tacking breakfast as well...with instant coffee...ewwwww. After a hefty amount of caffeine and some ibuprofen for good measure, we headed to the terminal.
I travelled on ferrys all over British Columbia -some small, some really small, and a few fairly large-so I was not expecting a mini cruise ship which is what the Nova Star ferry that runs between ortolans and Yarmouth is! Three decks for vehicles -there were about a dozen bikes-and you can book a cabin if you are on the Portland to Yarmouth trip overnight. It is a ten hour tour....Paul and I have trouble sitting still for an hour, but, it is a forced relaxation after several days of throttle-twisting riding (3000 miles to date).
We line up with the other bikes, show our passports at security, pull the bikes into the gaping jaws of the giant ship, then Paul watches like a hawk as the crew ties the bikes down on four points ( I notice all the other guys do the same thing....must be a guy thing). I'm the only woman rider, all the other females are back rests, and we hear the same question...'did you ride all the way from Florida!?' Actually, I would be perfectly happy if we could take this nice luxurious boat all the way to Port Canaveral, avoiding Pennsylvania AND the megalopolis of the Eastern seaboard cities. No way is this boat full, we spread out in the aft section with six business class size seats and a table to ourselves. Once the boat is underway, we explore the different areas...there's even a casino! Where I lose $2 in the penny slots in a matter of minutes....I'm not a gambler w my money.
Time to look at the Nova Scotia travel guide, talk about what we saw/did, and marvel at all the things we didn't get a chance to do! There are 2 or 3 museums in every little town....I'm real sorry we missed the Sardine Museum. There are pages and pages of attractions, cultural events, music festivals, etc., you could spend a month here and still not see all there is to experience in NS. We loved the ride, the food, and the music.
One of the most interesting facts....we have crossed the 45th Parallel a couple of times and went thru the town of Stewiacke Nova Scotia....the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole! How cool is that?!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewiacke
Part of our passage on the boat today is the buffet...for lunch AND dinner...OMG, like my jeans were not already snug enough. I had the fresh Haddock and Lobster Mac 'n Cheese....yum. Topped it off with Apple Crisp Pie and coffee...then we waddled back to our seats and promptly fell asleep for an hour or so. There have been Black Jack lessons, a Martini Mixology class, Zumba, Card Making, and a guy playing the piano.
We settle into the lounge at the front of the ship to watch the approach into Elizabeth Harbor/Portland. The coastline is beautiful, full of big ships, sailboats, small craft, and windsurfers. For the first time in days, I feel completely relaxed....we congratulate ourselves for taking the boat and not riding. The call for those of us for vehicles to go below is given; the straps have already been detached from the bikes, we rearrange the packs and wait for the boat to complete docking. After we disembark, we sit in line to pass thru the Customs check. The guy with the BMW bike is in front of me.....I pass the time reading all of his stickers (only a Beemer guy would do that...no self respecting Harley owner would put stickers on their bike).... 'Paved roads are just another example of a waste of taxpayers money.' Right.
Made it thru customs and headed to the Marriott....laundry - no dinner, OMG - and no Internet to speak of.
Sunday, July 12th
410 mile ride from Portland Maine to Binghamton New York on backroad so across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, portions of upstate New York. The weather has been perfect, sunny and hot. Our only diversion today from the wonderful twisty turny roads is a stop at the Big Moose Deli and Country Store. The store was jam packed with various and sundry items .....unique food items, crafts, shirts, and all other things tourists might want to take home from Vermont. I bought a black bear on a motorcycle and we shared the Maple BBQ. Pork sandwich.
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